John Taylor (not his real name) was an average family man who had been driving a forklift for the same company for more than 17 years. He faithfully attended all safety training but by his own admission, thought that it was “really boring.” He also admits that he would nod off during the training and took the opportunity to rest up. If you were to ask him today he would say that he wishes he would have listened more closely to those sessions. Why? Because John suffered an extremely bad injury when his forklift tipped over. He was attempting to move a load that was much too heavy for the forklift he was using. When he picked the load up, it tipped his lift over and sent it into a drainage ditch. Sounds bad huh? Well this isn’t the worst of it. He also killed one of his co-workers in the process. This forklift accident could have been prevented had he just been a little safer that day.

Lupe Villeda was another of our submitted stories.  Mr. Villeda’s forklift accident was different in that he didn’t have any safety training at all before his injuries occurred. He was driving his lift improperly, hit another co-worker, and slammed his lift into the wall injuring his knee extremely bad. He needed an immediate arthroscopy on his knee to repair the damage. What makes this story different is that no safety training was offered by his employer. So who was at fault Mr. Villeda or his employer? Well…both.  However, his employer had a much higher duty to provide safety training before Lupe ever sat his bottom in that forklift.  This accident could have been prevented if the parties involved would take safety and put it as a higher priority.

The bottom line to these two stories is this – forklift accidents can and do occur all the time. Whether its due to lack of training, or due to not paying attention when your safety officer is speaking, both can be deadly. The moral to these stories, and the reason that we are sharing them, is to remind you that you are driving a deadly and dangerous weapon – a forklift. The powerful vehicles, when used improperly, can cause serious and sometimes fatal accidents so be safe.

It is proper that operators of these machines stay in the cab of the lift always. The weight should always be checked and this is important to avoid tipping of the machine. Operators should always be alert and aware of the surroundings they are working at. These are simple yet effective ways in avoiding injuries.

Let’s now discuss the importance of staying always in the cab while operating this machine, operators of forklifts who dare to stick their heads out in the cab areprone to getting hit by falling debris or falling objects and hitting them on their heads. It is advisable to keep their body extremities like their hands and feet inside the cab always. Again, always remember that accidents could happen anywhere even at home. By simply following this simple instruction would definitely save you from getting hurt.

Speaking of forklift safety of the most important aspect of this is to always know the weight of the machine that you are handling in terms of carrying objects. Many would assume that just because forklifts are designed to carry heavy loads, that I can lift almost everything. This is absolutely wrong because ignoring these facts can lead to serious injury. If the forklift is carrying too much load, it can lose its balance and it could topple over. You are not the only person who could get hurt. What if there are bystanders beside you? They can be crushed too if the load fall to them.

This is the reason why operators of these machines need to be alert and aware of the surroundings always. They should always be aware of sudden fall of things or objects because these are uncontrollable. It is important to know how to avoid these unavoidable circumstances to be safe all the times. Remember this, operators of forklifts and bystanders should not be near to one another. We can never tell when will collisions happen and it could be catastrophic.

There are proper trainings to develop your skills in handling this machine. Forklifts are not that hard to operate but you should always remember that it is still a machine, that whatever happens as you control this lie in your hands. You have to always take extra careful and never dare operate this machine without the slightest idea on how to handle situations in case it gets out of hand.

Forklifts are used mainly in warehouses, factories and some place where there are huge loads that need to be shifted or lifted on a regular basis. As per the Industrial truck association, there are more than eight hundred forklifts in the US alone. But eventhough this is a powerful machine, it is still prone to accidents. There are different accidents involving forklifts that were registered by the ITA and the most common accident involves being crushed under tipping forklifts. Would you believe that forty percent is for this reason alone?

Other accidents are coming between the vehicle and that twenty five percent. Another is getting crushed between two forklifts and that’s eleven percent. Ten percent as per the statistic is being run over by the machine and there are many more. In places like manufacturing units and constructions sites, there are fifty five percent cases registered and that is really alarming. It showed that the reason for these accidents is due to the fact that operators have inadequate training.

You must know that it’s very dangerous to operate these machines without undergoing the proper training. It is proven fatal to the operator and the risk of endangering lives of those using it is high. It would be proper to have training first and as per training, it would be highly recommended to keep the load always low just to avoid tipping of the machine. Operators of these machines are also advised to remain in the lift just in case it tips over.

We all know that accidents can happen everywhere that’s why we need to be extra careful. Accidents involving forklifts canít be prevented but with proper training, it can be minimized. There are specified weight that should be installed in these machines in order to stop the forklift as it lifts more than what is required for it. This will definitely make the lifting much safer and much easier to operate.

What is considered to be the most pressing issue in handling forklifts is the safe operation of these machines. Most manufacturers and even dealers plus operators should be involved in promoting safety with regard to operating these machines. Monitoring and regulation should always be handled fully. Remember, safety should always come first before anything else. Every bit of training should be focused on preventing forklift accidents because the operator can suffer mightily. Let alone any OSHA repercussions that might exist.